Chapter 4296 — Cause and Consequence
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 2
"Exactly. All we need to do now is skim a bit more profit here and get our footing secure. As for how we develop later, that'll have to wait until the time comes," the great spider said, suddenly finding a kindred spirit. It turned to the great fire lion and pursed its lips. "See that? Our benefactor and I—great minds think alike. If we'd really listened to that half-baked idea of yours and gone roaming about outside, heaven knows how many of our two clans would have died. We'd never have had the peaceful life we have now."
"Fine, fine, you're the clever one, all right?" A rare touch of embarrassment showed on the great fire lion's face. He hastened to change the subject and asked Wei Zhao, "Benefactor, never mind the two of us—tell us about yourself. How did you come to be here? And this one beside you—could she be your..."
At this point, the great fire lion and the great spider both fixed their eyes on Huang Xiaotao, grinning with mischief, and laughed so knowingly that Huang Xiaotao lowered her head in embarrassment.
"I nearly forgot. Here, let me introduce you. Her name is Huang Xiaotao, a disciple of the Azure Cloud Pavilion on the Northern Island." Wei Zhao smiled and introduced them to one another. "Xiaotao, these two are old friends I first came to know back in the mortal world. You've seen their true forms already—they are the chiefs of the great fire lion clan and the great spider clan."
"Xiaotao pays her respects to the two seniors." Huang Xiaotao hastily removed her veil and gracefully curtsied to the great fire lion and the great spider. Since they were old friends and one of their own, there was naturally no need to keep her face hidden any longer.
"No, no, we're hardly worthy of being called seniors—you're our sister-in-law, if anything." The great fire lion and the great spider hurriedly returned the courtesy. In years and in strength they might indeed count as seniors, but Wei Zhao was their benefactor, so calling her sister-in-law was no overstatement.
That one word, "sister-in-law," made Huang Xiaotao, whose skin was thin to begin with, all the more flustered; her blush crept all the way to the roots of her ears.
"All right, no need for formalities among you—we're all family here," Wei Zhao said with a laugh from the side.
"Yes, yes. Benefactor, you were saying that sister-in-law Xiaotao is a disciple of the Azure Cloud Pavilion on the Northern Island? However did the two of you come to know each other?" the great fire lion asked, curiosity written all over his face.
"Simple—because I'm now a disciple of the Azure Cloud Pavilion on the Northern Island, just like her, so naturally we came to know each other," Wei Zhao answered with a smile.
"Benefactor, you joined the Threefold Pavilion of the Northern Island too?" the great fire lion and the great spider asked in surprise.
"That's right. After I passed through the teleportation array to Cloud-Tier Island, I was randomly sent to the Northern Island, and there I joined the Threefold Pavilion of the Northern Island. Counting the days, it's been over a year now. What I've been through in that time—well, it's more than I could ever say." Wei Zhao sighed with feeling. If he really counted them up, no small number of things had happened in that year; any single one of them, taken on its own, would be a tale of legend beyond most people's imagining.
"The Northern Island and the Southern Island are separated by a good hundred thousand li and more—so how did you come to be here, benefactor?" The great fire lion and the great spider exchanged glances. "Don't tell us you came for the Star-Ink Milk? That can't be—I remember word of it only ever spreads around these nearby waters. Has it really traveled that far now?"
"Ah... no, of course not. Out there it's still a closely guarded secret—not many people know of it at all!" Wei Zhao shook his head. (To be continued) R655